Music-sheet turner.



No. 000,080. Patented oct. 30, |900.

J. B. WILLIAMSON & H. L. MEANS.

' Music SHEET TURNER.

(Applicxltin led Dec. 13, 1899.)

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No. 660,980. Patented Oct. 30, |900. J. B. WILLIAMSON & H. L. MEANS muslo SHEET TURNER.

(Application med Dec. 13, 1899.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN B. WILLIAMSON AND HARRY L. MEANS, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY; SAID WILLIAMSON ASSIGNOR TO SAID MEANS.

MUSIC-SHEET TURNER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 660,980, dated October 30, 1900.

Application liled December 13, 1899, Serial No. 740,213. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom t may concer/ft:

Be it known that we, JOHN B. WILLIAMSON and HARRY L. MEANS, residents of Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Music-Sheet Turners; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in lo the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to an improvement in music-sheet tur-ners, the object of the invention being to provide a device of the abovementioned character with improved means for turning the sheets or pages of music and also improved means for retaining the sheets or pages in proper position.

With this object in view the invention conzo sists in certain novel features of construction and combination and arrangements of parts, as will be more fully hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figures l z5 and 4t are Views illustrating our improvements. Fig. 2 is a side View of the catchoperating mechanism, and Figs. 3, 5, and 6 are enlarged views of details of construction.

A represents aniinverted-T-shaped frame 3o or support, comprising the vertical member l and the horizontal member 2 at the lower end thereof and disposed at right angles thereto. A casing 3 is secured to the horizontal member 2 of the frame or support A,

and a lug 4l is secured to the bottom of the casing 3 and is bent at its lower end to form an ear 5, having a screw-threaded hole therein for the passage of a set-screw 6, carrying` a swiveled plate 7 at its free end to clamp the 4o outwardly-proj ecting memberof a music-rest (not shown) between said plate 7 and the base of the casing 3 to secure the sheet-turner in proper position. rIhe casing and clamp are provided with a covering of felt or other soft material to prevent scratching. A series of brackets 7a are secured to the vertical member l and are spaced a suitable distance apart and are provided with alined openings for the vpassage of tubular shafts 9, disposed 5o one within the other and of varying lengths,

as many of said shafts being provided according to the number of swinging arms l0 that may be employed, each of the latter being secured to a separate shaft and each shaft provided with a spring ll, disposed around the shaft and secured thereto at one end and at its other end to a bracket 7a.

The casing 3 is provided at one side of its center with a vertically-disposed plate l2, having a flange 13 at one side secured to the 6o member 2, and the upper end of said plate l2 projects through a slot in the top of the casing 3 and is bent over to form a flange le at the top of the casing and a narrow llange l5 at the front edge thereof. The plate l2 is 65 provided on one side with an eye 16, which, together with a hole in the flange lei, forms a guide or bearing for a bolt 17, to which latter, at its lower end, is connected one end of a spring 18, which is coiled between its ends 7o around a screw 19, secured to the member 2 and at its free end disposed against the bottom of the casing 3. The bolt l7is provided on its outer face with a series of ratchet-teeth adapted to be engaged by a spring-pressed dog 19, pivoted to a push-rod 20, projecting outside the casing 3 and provided on its outer end with a button or knob 2l. rlhe dog 19 is adapted to force the bolt 17 step by step in a downward direction, and a spring-pressed dog` 22, pivotally 8o connected to the plate l2, is adapted to engage the teeth on the bolt and hold the same against upward movement. Both of said dogs I9 and 22 are provided with outwardly-projecting pins 23, adapted to be engaged by a plate 24. to force said dogs out of engagement with the bolt and permit the latter to spring to its highest position. The plate 24c is provided on the lower end of a lever 25, pivoted between its ends to the plate l2 and projecting out through 9o the flange let and adapted to be engaged by the swinging arms l0 when they are thrown to the right to force the plate 2e in engagement with the dogs and permit the bolt 17 to spring upward and hold the arms l0 in proper 95 position. A spring 2t5,coiled between its ends around a screw 27, secured to the plate l2, is connected at one end to the inner end of the push-rod 2O and adapted to press the same outward, and the other end of said spring is :oo disposed against a pin 27 on the lower end of lever 25 to hold the lever in its normal position.

rlhe operation of this portion of our invention is as follows: l/Vhen the pages of a sheet of music are to be placed in position, the

sheets or pages are inserted at their lower ends in the spring-clamps d at the ends ofthe arms l0, and said arms are moved over to the right until they strike the lever 25, and when said lever is pressed inward the plate 24; will force the dogs 19 and 22 out of engagement with the bolt 17 and permit the latter to spring upward and hold the arms lO in the position to which they are moved. l/Vhen it is desired to turn a page or sheet, the push-rod 2O is forced inward, which operation will force the dog 19 (which is disposed against a tooth on the bolt) downward, and hence push the bolt downward a suflicient distance to release one arm l0 and permit the same to swing to the left, carrying a sheet or page with it. The dog 22 now engages the next tooth on the bolt and holds the same in its adjusted position. The push-rod 2O is operated as above de scribed until all of the arms l0 have been released and swung to the left, thus turning all of the sheets or pages of music.

A casing 28 is secured on the vertical member l of the bracket A and is adapted to inclose the brackets 7, shafts 9, and springs ll. The front face of the casing 2S is provided with two parallel jaws 29 and 30, the former stationary and secured to the casing and the latter movable and normallypressed away from the movable jaw by springs 3l, as shown. A. bar 32 is secured to one side ofthe casing 2S and is provided on its outer end with a pin 32, on which a cam-lever 33 is fulcrumed. The cam-lever 3S is adapted to engage the movable jaw 30 and clamp the edge of a sheet of music between said jaws. A lug 34 is provided on the movable jaw 30 and is disposed between the inner face ofthe cam-lever 33 and the casing to prevent the movable jaw from outward displacement.

A. plate Set is secured to the lower cud of the casing 2S a-nd is provided with an outwardlyprojecting portion having an ovalshaped opening 35 therein, and a plate 36 is secured to the upper end of the casing 2S and is provided on opposite sides with perforated ears 37. Similar ears 3S are provided on a movable plate 39, and pivot-pins connect the ears 137 and 38, and the outer end of said movable plate is provided with an oval-shaped opening 4l in alinement with the opening 35 in plate Si for the reception of a rod 42, having a recess 4:3 at each end to bear against the edge of the plates, and it will be seen that when it is desired to hold a book on the sheetturner it is simply necessary to insert the rod Ll2 in the binding ot' the book, then place the lower end of the rod in the hole in the lower plate 34, and then adjust the plate 39 to receive the upper end ol' the rod in the opening Ltl, and the thickness of the binding will hold the recessed portions of the rod in the eX- treme outer or contracted portion of the openings 35 and 4l, and hence prevent accidental displacement of said rod..

Instead oi' mounting the telescoping shafts 9, brackets 7, and springs ll in the casing 28, we may mount the same in the casing 3, and instead of employing coiled springs for operating said shafts we might employ dat springs or other means for throwing the arms from right to left.

Various other slight changes might be resorted to in the general form and arrangement of the several parts described without departing from the spirit and scope of our invention, and hence we would have it understood that we do not wish to limit ourselves to the precise details set forth, but consider ourselves at liberty to make such slight changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope ot our invention.

Having fully described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. lu a sheet or page turner, the combination with a support, arms pivotally connected to said support and springs for throwing said arms from right to left, of a sliding bolt on said support to hold the arms in their extreme right-hand position, means l'or operating said bolt step by step to separately release the arms, and means in position to be engaged by said arms when they are returned to their right-hand position l'or automatically releasing the bolt to permit the same to engage said arms.

2. In aleaf or page turner, the combination with arms adapted to be connected with the pages or leaves ot' a book or sheet of music and springs for forcing said arms from right to left, of a spring-pressed bolt normally dis` posed in the path of said arms, ratchet-teeth on said bolt, a push-rod, a spring-pressed dogl on said rod to engage said ratchet-teeth and move the bolt step by step out of the path ot' the arms, another spring-pressed dog adapted to prevent upward movement ol the bolt, a lever in rear ofthe arms when they are in their right-hand position and adapted to be operated thereby, and a plate on said lever adapted to engage both of said dogs and force them out of engagement with the bolt.

3. In a page or leaf turner, the combination with a support and means thereon for turning the pages of a book or sheet of music, ol plates connected to said support, spaced apart and having oval openings therein, and a rod adapted to be inserted in the binding of a book and having recessed portions for insertion in said oval openings in the plates.

In testimony whereof we have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN B. /VILLAMSON. HARRY L. MEANS.

Witnesses W. J. JAco, W. J. Donn.

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